Expanded SHOT Show to Kick Off Tuesday at The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 44^th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show^SM (SHOT Show^®) will open tomorrow at The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum and will span four days, running January 18 to 21. The 2022 show's expansion will mark it as the largest SHOT Show ever. With the addition of the Caesars Forum venue, the 2022 SHOT Show will attract more than 2,400 companies covering more than 800,000 net square feet of exhibit space. The SHOT Show is an event of NSSF^®—The Firearm Industry Trade Association.

Despite the pandemic, the SHOT Show anticipates attracting more than 40,000 industry professionals to view new, innovative products used for target shooting, hunting, outdoor recreation, personal defense and law enforcement purposes.

"The SHOT Show is hugely important to our industry and its customers not only because of the products that are unveiled there and purchased by industry buyers but also for the educational and networking opportunities the show provides," said NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi. "It's great to be back in Las Vegas to do business in-person at what will be our largest show ever. As our industry gathers at the SHOT Show, it's notable that Americans are embracing their right to own firearms by purchasing them at record levels for target shooting, hunting and personal and family security."

The return of the SHOT Show, which was operated virtually last year due to the pandemic, is good news for the Las Vegas and Nevada business communities, as SHOT Show pumps more than $88 million in non-gaming revenue into the economy. Across America, the $7.1 billion firearm industry supports more than 342,000 jobs. The value of industry businesses will be the topic of discussion at the NSSF-sponsored Governors' Forum, where governors from several states will speak about the importance of firearm businesses to their economies and their efforts to attract firearm- and ammunition-related firms to locate in their state.

The additional exhibit space of Caesars Forum brings hundreds of companies from the show's extensive waiting list onto the show floor for the first time, many of them smaller, newer companies that see the SHOT Show as the ideal event to make contacts to grow their businesses.

The demand for exhibit space by firearm industry companies reflects the incredible surge in firearm purchases in America since the beginning of 2020, totaling an estimated 40 million firearm sales with more than 11 million of those sales being first-time purchasers, according to federal background check data and NSSF surveys of firearm retailers.

The SHOT Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. The show is open to trade members only and not to the public. No firearms are transferred at the show. Consumers will see the new products unveiled at the SHOT Show on retailers' shelves throughout the coming the year.

The firearm industry is committed to the safe use of its products and to preventing accidents, thefts and misuse, including suicide. The industry's leading gun safety initiatives — collectively known as Real Solutions for Safer Communities^® and with NSSF's Project ChildSafe^® and "Have a Brave Conversation" suicide prevention programs among them — will have a significant presence at the show, including booths provided to NSSF program partners—the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. NSSF works to keep guns out of the hands of prohibited persons at the retail level through its Operation Secure Store^®, Don't Lie for the Other Guy^TM and FixNICS^® initiatives.

Many official show events cluster around the four days of SHOT Show itself, creating "SHOT Week." These include the NSSF/HAVA Golf Classic in support of Honored American Veterans Afield, a firearm industry-run charitable organization that helps the healing of disabled combat veterans through participation in hunting and the shooting sports.

The expanded two-day Supplier Showcase is a show-within-a-show, with more than 500 OEM third-party suppliers meeting with exhibiting manufacturers and exploring their needs for extrusions, fabrication, fabrics, machinery, metal, plastics, software, logistical support and tools. The event has more than doubled in size since its introduction at the 2017 show.

The show's new eXtra Pavilion at Caesars Forum will feature 100 table-top exhibits where show attendees can meet new manufacturers, discover new products and identify new solutions for their businesses.

At a special ceremony, NSSF will announce six new inductees to its Hall of Fame, which was launched at the 2020 show to honor industry leaders for their contributions to NSSF, the SHOT Show and the heritage of target shooting and hunting in America.

Education has always been an important component of the SHOT Show, with  SHOT University^TM offering a dozen classes on professional development topics such as marketing, compliance and project funding, as well as a dedicated Law Enforcement Education Program. In the past, presenters have included representatives from ATF, FBI and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Through its FixNICS program, NSSF has helped to significantly improve the FBI's NICS database by adding the names of persons legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.

On the day before SHOT Show opens, Industry Day at the Range^TM, with more than 175 exhibitors, provides hands-on experience to hundreds of firearms, ammunition, optics and vehicles to more than 1,700 invited outdoor media members and buyers. NSSF is the title sponsor of the event. More than 2,000 members of the press cover SHOT Show.

The SHOT Show is the fifth largest trade show held in Las Vegas and attracts buyers from all 50 states and, this year, from 100 countries. Some 13.9 miles of aisles lead to displays of firearms, ammunition, gun safes, locks and cases, optics, shooting range equipment, targets, training and safety equipment, hunting accessories, law enforcement gear, hearing and eye protection, tree stands, scents and lures, cutlery, GPS systems and other electronics, holsters, apparel, leather goods, game calls and decoys.

Anyone with an interest in the SHOT Show and new industry products can keep up with show events at shotshow.org or by following the show's news on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The SHOT Show is adhering to the Nevada state mandate for wearing masks at the two show venues and has made registrants aware of the show's COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

SOURCE National Shooting Sports Foundation